Forgive and Forget
by NarcissusXX
Summary: It's another cold and lonely winter for Naomi until she unwillingly rescues a dog from the cold. Unknowingly by bringing the poor dog into her home, she welcomes trouble as the dog turns out not to be any ordinary dog, but a powerful demon lord! sessxoc
1. Split Decision

_Summary: It's another cold and lonely winter for Naomi until she unwillingly rescues a dog from the cold. Unknowingly by bringing the poor dog into her home, she welcomes trouble as the dog turns out not to be any ordinary dog, but a powerful demon lord! sessxoc_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Split Decision<strong>

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><p>I hate winter.<p>

It's lonely and it's cold.

And it means that Christmas is coming up.

Everything about the winter is just plain wrong!

I grumbled as I walked down the icy street filled with ridiculously cheery decorations and an overbearing amount of spirit. I hate everything about Christmas. It was a day dedicated to spending way much more than you really want to. You dig to the bottom of your pocket to give people gifts that they could have bought themselves just as easily. Who benefits from Christmas? Overpriced stores.

Out of the corner of my eye, one of the brightly lit stores caught my attention. I walked up to the window and peered in. Dozens of little puppies spun around and smooshed their snotty little noses up to the window. They yipped and yapped happily, oblivious to my icy glare.

I hate dogs.

They were absolute monsters that wreaked havoc.

Yes. I, Naomi Yasuhara, am the modern day Grinch. I fit the description down to the tee. I hated all that was merry plus all dogs. Don't get me wrong, I am a decently pleasant enough girl all other days of the year. But when the first signs of frost roll around the corner, my heart instantaneously shrinks to the size of a pea.

Sighing, I left the window of puppies alone and continued walking home from work. Luckily, my house was only a few minutes walk out of the downtown area of the city where I worked. But it was far enough so that I wouldn't have to see or hear anything Christmas from my little apartment.

I grumbled as I trekked through the terribly plowed sidewalk leading up to my apartment complex. Everything was pure white.

If it hadn't been for the dark red blood, I would have missed him completely.

A white dog was laying helplessly in the snow. I thought it was dead, from the stillness of its body and the cold of the weather. But I heard the soft growl. That dog was definitely alive. Despite it's growl, the dog did nothing to move from its position.

That dog would surely die very soon. But what did it mean to me? I turned my head away and continued into my apartment complex.

Once I reached my small studio apartment, I changed into comfortable pajamas and made myself hot chocolate. I couldn't get that dog out of my mind. I sighed and tried to fix my attention on my work. I was an editor for a publishing company. I had manuscripts upon manuscripts to read and correct. I pulled out my red pen to start marking. The red of the pen reminded me of the blood surrounding the dog I had left to die.

Grr! I need to concentrate! I furiously began to mark a correction… There's no ink left.

"Seriously?"

I walked over to the trash to vent out my frustration by throwing the pen angrily and dramatically into the bin. But before I could even do it, I realized that my trash bin was full. And judging from the smell after I opened the lid, it was over a week old.

I hate dogs. And I hate smelly trash. I wasn't going to go check up on the dog because I wanted to, but because I had to take out the trash. That's all. Seriously. I don't care what happens to that thing.

I gathered the bag of trash and made my way down the elevator and towards the large community trash bin outside. The dog just happened to be laying in between the apartment complex and my destination. But I, of course needed to take out the trash right now. Smelly trash waits for no one!

Okay. I'll admit that I secretly wanted to see how the dog was doing. I even brought some delicious meaty leftovers from my dinner to leave for the dog. Then I'll run away before the dog can even think to become my responsibility. Then I can say that I tried. Perfect plan!

But of course, things never go as expected. There were two young boys hunched over the dog outside. At first, I thought nothing of it. Perhaps the dog was theirs? But upon closer examination, I saw them poking and prodding at the bloodied dog with a stick.

How terrible! Even I, who despised all dogs, could never bring myself to do something so cruel! I rushed outside and threw my smelly bag of trash at the boys.

"Scram, you little demons!"

Luckily the boys dropped the stick and booked the hell out of our complex's front yard. I quickly picked up the trash and threw it in the bin before returning to the complex doors. I looked over at the bloodied white dog. It's position was the exact same as she had seen it last. Even with the boys' torture, the dog couldn't even move to get away.

At this point, I'm torn. I act the part of the regular good Samaritan and at least, let this dog die in comfort. Or I could walk through this door to enjoy my evening and live my life as I normally would. It took only a moment.

I opened the door and walked through to bask in the warmth of my apartment complex. I was only able to take one more step towards the elevators leading up to my home on the 27th floor before I turned at walked right back out the door.

"Don't you dare try anything, stupid dog. You got yourself in this mess. Not me."

I said to the dog before picking it up in my arms. It was a lot heavier than it looked! I could hear weak growling from the dog's chest. If I die trying to help this dog out… I'm a total idiot.

I shook my head and proceeded to take the stairs. Yes. I have to take all 27 flights of stairs to get to my apartment. No. I cannot take the elevator and risk other people seeing my carry an animal into my apartment. Pets aren't allowed in this complex! This was one of the reasons why I chose this complex over all of the others, after all.

By the time I reached my apartment, I was struggling to catch my breath. I had even thought about just dragging the dog up the stairs behind me. But I imagine that killing the dog by stair trauma would not give the dog a peaceful death. My legs practically gave out on me when I reached my comfortable couch.

I looked from the couch to the bloody god in my arms and back to the couch. No. Absolutely not. I am not going to sacrifice my comfy couch for this stupid dog. I continued to the small bathroom where I laid the dog into the bathtub.

I rolled up my sleeves and began to work. Making sure that the water was warm enough, I splashed water onto the dog and meticulously cleaned its fur. After that, I toweled off the dog and used my blow dryer to help speed up the drying process.

After it was all said and done, the dog looked pretty close to brand-spankin' new. Well, except for all of the bandages I had wrapped around the wounds. It looked almost as if the dog had been slashed with a knife. I didn't want to think about how it got the wounds. I carried the dog back out to the living room where I had prepared a bed of blankets for the dog.

I felt a little sorry for the creature. It could barely move and it's growl was downright pathetic. And yet, the dog itself looked extremely cute. It looked to be something between a Samoyed and a pure white husky.

I placed my hand on the dog's head and stroked its fur. It was incredibly soft and thick. It was a pure white like snow. The dog's eyes cracked open.

I was struck with fear. Out of instinct, I scooted back from the dog. It's body didn't move but I could hear the grown and I could see the fangs bared against me.

But what scared me most were the deep golden eyes that pierced my soul.


	2. Eggnog and Spirits

**Chapter 2: Eggnog and Spirits**

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><p>"Hello?"<p>

"Hey Suki. It's me."

"Naomi? You sound terrible. Are you okay?"

"Actually, that's why I'm calling. I won't be able to come into work today. I don't know what it is, but I feel awful."

"You sound awful."

"Thanks, Suki."

"Well, rest up this weekend. I'll see you on Monday?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

"Get well soon!" My boss' enthusiasm at the office was unmatched. After we hung up the phone, I threw my cell phone on to the coffee table next to me.

A fever was consuming my entire body and yet I felt so cold. The sniffling wouldn't stop and I was even annoying myself with the constant coughing. My eyes and my nose were both runny. I had already gone through one box of tissues and was currently working my way through another one. Kleenexes don't come cheap!

Turning my head, I glared at the white dog across the room from my couch. It still hadn't moved from its spot on the blankets. It's been two days since I took in the pathetic thing and it still hasn't moved. The stupid thing wouldn't even eat anything. I would sacrifice pretty damn good food for it too..

"This is totally your fault, you dumb dog. You got me sick!"

I pointed at the dog, half expecting it to respond. Of course, it didn't. I sighed and turned around on my couch to get some more rest.

.

.

.

The sound of the doorbell was annoying. And I just had to wake up to it. I groaned and threw a pillow over my head in a sad attempt to drown out the dings.

But they continued. Whoever it was on the other side of my door, they were persistent. And I was grouchy.

I got up and swung the front door to my apartment open. In the door way stood my close friend and coworker. As usual, his chestnut hair was messy, but in the most perfect way. His bright green eyes lit up when he saw me.

"Haru?"

"Naomi!" He chirped excitedly.

"Haru." I repeated with a glare.

"Naomi!" He repeated with even more enthusiasm.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Visiting my sick best friend, of course." His smile was dazzling.

I sighed and shut the door in his face. I returned to my kitchen to fix myself a breakfast. I heard Haru let himself in behind me.

"You can be so mean sometimes."

"I know."

"What are you doing?"

"Well, I'm in the kitchen and I'm looking through my refrigerator… Now why would I do that, I wonder?"

"Oh, how I miss your biting sarcasm at the office." Haru shot back. "No need. I made you lunch."

He waved a bag of food around in front of me. I closed the door of my fridge and sighed.

"Haru, you didn't have to."

"I know. I also know how bad of a mood you're in the week before Christmas."

"…" I gingerly opened the bag to food to find a container of delicious smelling soup and a large bottle of eggnog. I took the soup out and stared curiously at the eggnog.

"The real stuff." Haru explained. "I made it myself, so I hope you like it. I put a little extra bourbon in there for a hard kick." He grinned.

As I sat down and devoured the soup, I noticed Haru looking around my tiny apartment. It really only consisted of a kitchen, a bathroom and one main room, which was both my living room and bedroom.

"Geez. When are you ever going to get a real bed?"

"When I have money." I answered, finishing up the soup.

Haru's eyes continued scanning the room before they rested on the new object. I sauntered across the room, ignoring Haru's look of surprise.

"Naomi?"

"What?"

"That's a dog, right? I'm not just imagining things?"

"Yes."

"A real dog?"

"Woof woof." I monotonously said as I laid back down on the couch, covering my self completely under blankets.

"Sorry. It's just… I didn't think you'd ever like dogs again."

"I don't."

Even with my eyes closed, I could feel Haru's questioning look.

"He's a stray. He was dying outside a couple of days ago, so I brought him in. Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just waiting for him to croak."

"That's either the most sadistic thing I've ever heard or the sweetest…" Haru laughed. I wanted Haru to leave. I knew what he would say next.

"Naomi. I'm glad you're beginning to move on. I hate to see you in so much pain this time of year."

"…"

"Your father would be happy to see-"

"I'm tired." I cut him off.

"… Alright. Sorry. I'll let you sleep."

I heard him get up and walk towards the front door. I felt bad, but I didn't want to talk about my father. Especially not for the next week.

"Hey Haru. Thank you."

"Your welcome. Get well soon, Naomi."

I heard the door click shut. I didn't even get a chance to sigh before the covers were suddenly yanked off of me.

"Haru!"

"You didn't think I'd leave it at that, did you?"

I hated Haru's persistence sometimes. It was a trait that he had never grown out of even after childhood. It definitely helped him out of some tight spots and it even forced me into becoming friends with him. But right now, all I wanted was for Haru to get the hell out of my gloomy abode.

"I'm not leaving until you're smiling again."

"I can't smile. I've lost that ability ever since winter started." I dramatically laid back down onto my couch, tossing my hand back onto my forehead.

"Don't give me that shit." Haru handed a glass to me. I sniffed the liquid substance in the glass.

"Ew."

"Come on. I poured my blood and sweat into making that."

"Blood and sweat? Even more reason for me not to drink this."

"It's not literally in it! Just stop being stubborn and try it."

I brought the glass to my lips and took a very small sip. Very small. It didn't taste bad by any means, but I didn't like the thick texture of the drink. The smell was weird. I couldn't tell Haru. It would break his heart.

"It tastes disgusting." I watched as Haru frowned disappointedly. Can I admit that I'm smiling a little on the inside? It's his fault for barging in on my angst time.

He sighed. "It'll help you forget Christmas."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

It was reason enough for me to gulp down the rest of the bottle alongside Haru. I could feel my body heat up from the alcohol. I had a very low tolerance and I knew it. The bourbon was definitely not good for me.

I had no idea how long it had been since we started drinking the bottle. We shared fond memories of our childhood together, eventually working our way up to just two years ago. My worst memory. I quickly finished another glass and poured out some more. I didn't even want to think about it.

"Seriously though. I'm really surprised about that dog." I followed Haru's line of sight to the still dog across the room. I swept me hair back with a tired hand. I sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"Me too."

"Like I said though. You father would be proud."

"Who cares? He was an idiot."

"I don't think so. He did what made him happy."

Happy? I frowned and glared at the white dog across the room. It was his kind's fault. I could never forgive or forget what had happened. The alcohol spoke aloud for me.

"Leaving his only daughter at home by herself for Christmas to help a crazy dog at his vet clinic? Idiotic. Getting bitten and dying in a dog attack at the clinic while he 'did what made him happy'? Idiotic. Never coming back home to his daughter after that? Idiotic."

I could feel the tears rising up. My throat closed up and I could feel the harsh lump in my throat, threatening to suffocate me. My voice sounded much more harsh than I thought.

"I hate him. And I hate dogs!"

I pulled the covers back up and over my head to cover my face. I didn't want anyone to see me cry- least of all, Haru. I could feel Haru apply light pressure through the blankets onto my head.

"Not all dogs are the same though. They're just like people. We can all be good and bad."

I knew that. Even more than Haru did. I had worked and lived around dogs ever since I was a small child. My father had taught me to love and care for them. I knew that there were good dogs and mean dogs out there, but I had to blame someone.

My father had chosen a dog over me. And look at where that got him. The fool.

"Naomi?"

I never responded to Haru. I pretended to have fallen asleep, hoping that he would leave. I felt the same pressure on my head through the covers again.

"Good night, Naomi."

I heard the door click again. I waited for a while before I took the covers off. I locked the front door before stumbling back to the couch. I stared across the room at the dog. I shook my head and sat back down. I finished the bottle of eggnog. Everything around me was blurry, dizzy, and warped. My eyes couldn't stay open.

I laid back down onto the couch. Before I fell asleep, I turned to check up on the dog's status again.

Wait. There was a white dog, right?

I blinked.

For a moment, through my blurred vision, I thought I saw a man clothed in white laying exactly where the dog had been laying.

Impossible.

I know I had brought in a dog. Not a man. I turned my head away from the impossibility. My own imagination was playing a trick on me. It must have been the alcohol talking.

Whatever it was, he was a beautiful man.

.

.

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	3. Present Opening

That dog has barely even moved from its spot. At this point, I can't help but wonder if the dog was faking it just to have shelter.

It has been a week already. As the days went by, my mood got more and more sour. I kept throwing nasty glares at the dog whenever I could- which was all the time. I even threw a pillow at the devil across the room, hoping that he would do _something_. I'll admit that I was just a little worried for the thing. He had started eating, but only very small amounts of whatever I would give him. He'd even twitch and shift now and then, but he never wandered from his blankets- that I could see at least.

But for the entire week, I kept running into very strange occurrences. I'd wake up to see my balcony door open. Or the keys that I had lost miraculously appeared on the coffee table right next to where I slept. And it was almost impossible to miss the white hairs all over the house. I even found some on my black turtleneck! Proof that the dog was indeed lurking around while I was unconscious. I should've been more nervous, but when I couldn't see him moving during the daytime, it was hard to be scared.

I didn't even bother getting up and off of the couch for a good few hours. While everyone else was spending this holiday with their families and loved ones, I knew that I would be spending it alone.

Well. Almost.

I looked back over at the dog. This was the worst. I couldn't even spend my holiday by myself as usual. Instead, I had to spend it with my worst enemy. Watch when the stupid thing rears up its ugly head and bites my face off today! I grumbled and got up to make myself coffee.

This was how the majority of my day went. I just ate and worked furiously on all of the manuscripts that I had to read and correct. My eyes would wander over to the dog across the room every once in a while. I tried everything to get my mind off of Christmas. But I just couldn't get my mind off of the thought. I even tried to hide the silly Christmas gift that Haru and my boss had given to me by throwing them in the cupboard under the sink. Today was the worst day of my life. I hated Christmas eve and Christmas!

My father had died today. I dropped the manuscript down onto the coffee table and sat back on my couch. It was about this time in the evening when he had received that desperate phone call.

My mother had died when I was born so it was just me and my beloved father. Being a single father, he had to work constantly at his vet clinic in order to get enough money to support me. I would try to help out where I could by learning to cook and clean. Sometimes, I would even have to help take care of random strays that he'd bring home. He was such a kind man. I looked up to him.

I remember when he tossed his jacket on and ran out of the door. He gave me a kiss goodbye on my head before leaving. Then he never returned home.

The phone call I got later on in the night was devastating. The woman was sobbing while she tried to explain to me in the nicest way possible. I didn't want that. I may have looked like a little kid, but I had grown up fast.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Was all I said.

The woman on the other side of the phone didn't say anything. But that was all I needed. I hung up the phone.

I hated dogs. They took away my dearest father.

And now I was taking care of one of them. I set the bowl of food down in front of the laying dog. As usual, the dog growled harshly at me when I neared him. I couldn't stand it anymore. My temper was flaring. I grabbed the dog's snout and held his jaw together so that he couldn't snap at me.

"Quiet, you stupid dog. I'm fucking taking care of you and this is how you thank me? I'm not like my father. I'm not going to be nice and take care of you just so you can come back and kill me. I'm not an idiot!"

I glared deeply into the dog's golden eyes. I had learned never to look away from a dog's stare. It signified weakness to the dog. But I couldn't help it. My eyes filled to the brim with tears.

I know I'm weak. I hated it. My eyes closed on their own and hot trails of tears fell down my cheeks.

"If it weren't for you, my dad would still be alive. He'd still be here with me." My voice cracked. I could barely make out the words. I loosened my grip on the dog's nozzle and wiped away some of the wet streams on my face.

I couldn't help but see this helpless white dog as the same dog that had mauled my father. I knew he wasn't the same dog, but something in me just couldn't override that visual. I wish I had that ability to forgive like my father.

I opened my eyes and sniffled. I felt like an idiot. I had been yelling at this random dog that I just couldn't help but save. I wish I hadn't inherited that kindness from my father. I just couldn't let helpless animals by themselves. Perhaps I could forgive my father for leaving me.

The white dog just kept his yellow orbs on me. He didn't even move or twitch in the slightest. The look he was giving me was disapproving. It was as if he were trying to convey with his eyes that I was being a foolish human. I felt even more dumb.

Of course. This dog was not the same. It probably could have attacked me by now if it really wanted to. But it had been laying here for over a week and a half. Why? It was clear that the dog was by no means paralyzed. I had seen the dog get up at one point to switch positions on the pile of blankets. Was it because it was weak? Or was it to make me feel more comfortable?

If it were the latter, then I'd feel like a complete moron. I knew I was acting like a snotty little bitch. Perhaps the dog could sense it too. I recall how there had been studies on how animals could feel empathy for their owners and would try to console them. Was this dog trying to do just that?

A strong sense of guilt washed over me. I could no longer help but see the dog as one of my father's. Perhaps just this once, I could learn to forgive. I could forget about Christmas and just remember all of the good times with him. And dogs as well. I had loved them so dearly before my father's accident…

"… I'm sorry."

I stared at the dog. He stared right back at me and we both just sat there and stared at each other in silence. I felt stupid apologizing to a dog. He probably couldn't even understand anything that was happening. I sighed heavily.

"I know you didn't kill my father. I'm such a fool."

I slowly brought my body down to lay next to the dog. I slowly reached out my hand towards the dog. When it didn't growl, I laid my hand on its head and stroked the fur down to its back. He was still incredibly soft. Its golden eyes carefully watched me the entire time and I could help but shift uncomfortably.

The dog never once began to growl at me again. I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my chest. Indeed, I was learning to forgive and forget. Maybe winter and Christmas is not so bad after all. I could feel the edges of my lips curl up against my will. There was a sense of pride that overtook me, knowing that I had been able to calm this dog down and teach it to trust me slowly.

"Where did you come from?"

I half expected an answer. Of course, one never came. I'm talking to a dog, after all. Was I really expecting it to speak human? Hah! I laid my head down next to the dog. It took a while, but soon the dog did the same. His eyes never closed or lifted off of me. I couldn't help but feel like this dog was smart, almost human-like. There were some points where I couldn't help but imagine the dog having human-like personality traits. He was so stoic sometimes. But that's so silly of me to even think of.

I closed my eyes and meant to get up and back onto my couch. But I must have fallen asleep. To tell you the truth, I'm a secretly glad that I brought the dog home.

For the first Christmas in years, I didn't feel so alone.

.

.

.

Christmas is over! I yawned and stretched my body. My back and hips were killing me. Had I been sleeping on the floor the entire time? I tried to remember back to last night.

Ah, right. I had made up with my father's memory and I was learning to forgive dogs. I still felt wary about the whole situation, but maybe Haru was right. I needed to move on.

I remember falling asleep next to that strange white dog last night. I'm almost surprised that I didn't get mauled or growled at. I'm even more surprised that I didn't wake up at any point throughout the night. In fact, I felt pretty comfortable laying here. Maybe I should reconsider the floor instead of that cramped couch. I laughed to myself and I continued stretching out my legs. The dog was unusually warm though. I wondered if he was sick. I opened my eyes to look at the dog in front of me.

But instead of a dog, there was a man laying next to me. My body froze completely.

What? I didn't bring any guys home last night. I'm sure of it. All I had in my apartment was a dog. A dog! Not a man! What is going on?

I had been so uncomfortably close to him that I had been feeling the warmth radiating off of his body. I shot straight up out of my position next to the man, only to fall back down. My sudden movements had rendered me completely dizzy.

The man did nothing in response. He merely laid there on the pile of blankets. His familiar golden eyes pierced me in the same way that the dog's had. He was quite handsome.

But even more importantly than everything else…

He's…

He's completely naked!


	4. In the Nude

***Author's Note**: _My god. I didn't even catch those typos and mistakes in the past chapters. I'm sorry! The majority of the times when I write, my fingers are completely frozen since I live in a refrigerator (they call it a college-income apartment…). Unfortunately, spell check does not always correct the words that I need it to since I somehow spell it right. (e.g. I spelled "god" instead of "dog." But I'm sure Sesshoumaru wouldn't mind being called a god..?)_

_Also, thank you Death101 for pointing out my POV error. I'm switching back and forth from both fanfics and sometimes it's tough to remember to write in one specific POV. Haha. I'll keep a closer lookout! =)_

_Thanks for the reviews, guys!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: In the Nude<strong>

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><p>Naked.<p>

That's what he was. You know those delicious bottles of juice that claim insane amounts of vitamins in the grocery stores called "Naked?" Well, I am just now discovering that there is an even better form of "Naked." He was right in front of me.

Wait. Oh god. What am I thinking? There is a naked man right in front of me. Did he sneak in while I slept? Where did he come from? Did he kill that dog? Why is he naked? What was he doing? Dozens of questions circled around my head, seeking answers. But in the end, my mind could only come up with one conclusion:

"Rape?"

I had intended that to come out as more of an exclamation but instead, what I got was a question. I wondered what kind of rape tactic this was. I had never heard of it before. Who breaks into a house and just lies there? I distanced myself as far away as I could from the laying man. In fact, I dashed to the kitchen and grabbed the first big object I could easily get to. I turned around to face my stranger.

A pan! I feel utterly ridiculous right now. I am holding a pan behind my head, getting ready to swing it like a professional baseball player while there is a beautiful naked man just laying in the middle of my apartment like he owns the place. What is going on?

Despite my huffing, puffing, and glare of daggers, the man didn't stir from his position. Thankfully, he had wraps of bandages to conveniently cover the important goods, but just barely. It was still enough for me to blush like crazy. He didn't even flinch from my stare. Not even a twitch! I was worried for a moment that he was either dead or a statue.

"What are you doing in my apartment?"

I screamed at him, trying to put on a strong commanding voice. I moved a little closer to try and gain some leverage on the man. His familiar golden eyes just followed my movements. It's irritating to see a rando just chilling in your apartment as if nothing big was going on. Well, let me tell you- something big is going to go down if this man didn't answer me!

"Who the hell are you? Get out of my home, you rapist!"

"Quiet, human."

"Human? My god. How did a crazy get into my apartment?"

"The only crazy one I see is the foolish woman in front of me."

"At least I'm not naked!"

I think the man glared at me. I couldn't tell. He definitely didn't look happy, that's for sure.

"Who are you?" I repeated.

"…"

"How did you get in?"

"You brought me in."

"What? No I definitely didn't, you dirty little liar."

"Nine days ago, you brought in a dog..."

"…. Yeah? So?"

"…"

"…"

I just stared at him. Was he really trying to say what I thought he was trying to say? The room was uncomfortably silent.

"What? You mean to tell me that you're that stupid dog I picked up?"

"Careful with your words, human."

There it was again. The way he said it made _me _feel like a freak. No. No. No. If anything, he was the freak here. What did he think he was? A dinosaur?

"Hate to break it to you, but you're a human too."

"Do not group me in the same lesser species, human. I am a demon."

"A what?"

"…"

"I'm sorry. I must not have heard you correctly. Did you just say you were a _demon_?"

"…"

"Wow. This is getting more and more ridiculous. Which asylum did you just escape from?"

"Do not think that I will not kill you just because you helped me. I did not need it."

"Okay. Then let me just entertain the thought here: a naked dog demon has just been laying in the middle of my apartment for days? Without moving? Or bothering to tell me that he wasn't just a regular dog?"

"Am I not telling you now?"

I glared right back at him. Did he really believe what he was saying? He sounded absolutely insane. I wonder if he realized it.

"Humans in your era of time are indeed insolent and foolish in the face of power."

"Oh! So now you're a _time-traveling_ demon dog! Imagine that! The list just goes on, doesn't it?" I scoffed.

"…"

"I don't believe this."

"I understand that it is difficult for humans to comprehend the quite simple…"

"Uh huh. You're joking, right? Even if this were all true, you'd still just be that dumb dog I picked up on the streets."

Maybe I went a bit far with that insult. The man began to get up from his spot on the blankets.

"W-what are you doing? You stay right there, you!"

Did he listen? Of course not. What rapist would? As soon as he started moving closer to me, I readied the pan to swing. Then with another step, my cowardice kicked in. I threw the pan at the man and ran for the bathroom. I slammed the door behind me and fiddled with the broken doorknob until it finally locked with a click.

I sighed and sat down on the edge of the tub. My knees felt weak and my hands were vigorously shaking from the adrenaline. I kept my eyes on the door, just waiting for the psycho man to bust through.

I waited.

And waited.

I must have waited for at least half an hour. I pressed my ear up to the door and listened. Nothing. I held on to my designated weapon of choice from my bathroom cabinets- a hair brush, and opened the door just a crack. I couldn't see the man anywhere through the crack. I pushed the door open a little more and peeped my head out. He was no where to be seen. Carefully scanning the apartment, I couldn't find him anywhere. I check the closets, the crevices, and even the kitchen cabinets. Nothing.

Was I out of my mind? I could have sworn that everything had happened in real life. Where was the proof? I looked over at the balcony window.

Open.

The drapes were pulled aside and moving with the cold breeze. I ran over to the window and looked outside. There were paw prints in the snow leading off of my balcony. I let myself through the door and onto the landing. There was no way that the dog (or a man) could have survived a fall from this high up. I peered over the edge, afraid of the worst.

But there was nothing there. All I saw below was pure white snow. No body. No blood. Not even a body print in the snow. I frowned. Am I really going crazy? No. There are paw prints everywhere. I walked back into my apartment. There was definitely still a pile of blankets with the unmistakable imprint of a body.

I was left with the traces of a crazy fantasy and an overactive imagination. But what could I do? Nobody would believe me even if I told them and I couldn't find the crazy man or the dog anywhere.

Time moved on. So did I.

Almost.

.

.

.

Two days had passed already and I was left to dwell on my thoughts. My imagination went wild with the recent events. I couldn't even concentrate on what Haru was trying to tell me at lunch. I sat with my elbow on the table and my chin resting in the palm of my hand. I stared outside while Haru talked.

"Blah blah blah blah…. Blah blah blah?"

"…"

A hand was waved right in front of my face. I snapped back to reality and looked at Haru.

"I asked you if you were even listening."

"Oh. Yeah…"

"What's with you all of a sudden?"

I frowned. "I don't know."

"I've never seen you act like this even around Christmas before. Did something happen?"

I remembered back to the naked man in my apartment. I couldn't keep the blush off of my face. I waved my hands in front of my face furiously to reject his presumption.

"No! Nothing happened!"

Haru frowned. I felt bad for keeping secrets from my childhood friend, but I didn't want to sound like a delusional creep. After all, who would ever make up a story about having a beautiful naked man in their apartment? Desperate creepers, that's who. I shook my head and tried to reassure him.

"Seriously. I'm fine, Haru. I've just been so swamped with work is all."

"Really." He stated in a tone of disbelief.

"Really." I affirmed.

"And if something did ever happen, you know that you can always talk to me right?"

"I know. Thanks, Haru."

Way to make me feel even more guilty. I averted my eyes back out of the window, avoiding Haru's intense gaze. I looked just in time to see a familiar looking dog right outside of the café we had chosen for lunch. I stood right up and out of my chair.

No way. That can't be the same dog, could it? It was! The familiar bandages were still wrapped around the dog's wrist and chest. The golden eyes were unmistakable. For a moment, I wondered whether or not I should even bother with the dog anymore.

But I had already made a decision the second I walked out of the door and brought the dog into my home. I had to know what happened. This was my chance! I grabbed my coat off of the back of my chair and sprinted out of the café.

"Naomi? What the hell- here are you going?" Haru yelled from the table. I could hear his chair scoot back on the hardwood floor as he stood up, frantically trying to follow me.

"Pick up my tab for me. Please and thank you! Lunch was nice! See you tomorrow!" I waved at him as I ran out of the glass door. The welcome bell rung as I swung the door open and slipped my black peacoat on.

Once I reached outside, I looked both ways down the street to search for that white dog. He was nowhere to be found. Instead, I could see several people running down the street in one way.

What do I do? I run in the opposite direction, of course. Undoubtedly, the people were running away from the terrifying dog that I was trying to get to. I gently pushed some of the oncoming people away as they tried to run past me. It took a run of about four blocks before I found the white dog again.

He was snarling with teeth bared against the circle of men dressed in thick black coats surrounding him. Animal control. I could see the bold yellow lettering on the back of their coats with the star insignia. One of them had a large net. Another carried a long extended pole, meant to subdue the dog by the neck. I watched in horror as another one of the men leapt forward to taze the dog.

It looked like some kind of fast-paced dance. The men kept jumping forward to subdue the dog, but none of them could even come close to touching him. The tazers kept missing and the men were tripping over themselves trying to catch a dog that very simply dodged their attacks. It was almost like something out of a comedy. I could practically hear the dingy old classic comedy instrumental playing in the background. The dog was getting more and more angry.

It's normally golden eyes suddenly turned scarlet red. They seemed to glow with rage. I had never seen anything like it before. I watched as the dog's hair stood on end and it lowered its head into a familiar striking position. It wasn't until I saw the gun that I felt my own body lunge forward.

"Stop! That's my dog!"

I pushed past the men and stood right by the dog. I flung my arms out to protect the dog from the gun and stared the men down.

"Get away from that dog, you idiot!"

"No. He's my dog!"

I could hear the dog snarling right behind me, but I didn't budge. For a moment, I felt fear stabbing me in the chest. I imagined myself in the exact same situation that my father had been in. There was a pissed off dog with sharp fangs right behind me and a man with a gun right in front of me. What was that saying? Something about being between a rock and a hard place?

"Please stop. He's my dog. I'm really sorry about this. He really never meant to hurt anyone."

"Ma'am, please step aside. That dog is a danger to everyone."

"We don't have a choice. We need to put him down." Another man spoke.

"Please! I love him. He's all I have." And here comes my make-belief sob story. I conjured up tears in my eyes.

"My whole family is died and left me all alone. He's the only family I have left. If he's gone…. I'm afraid that there's no reason for me to go on living either…" I put my head down and used one hand to wipe away the fake tears. At the same time, the dog behind me stopped it's harsh snarling as well. I could see the men around me relax a little.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry. We really have no choice. It's the nation's policy for threats like him."

"But he's a good doggy, I swear!" I sniffled and even threw in a hiccup to make my case a little more believable.

There was no possible way for me to peacefully go with animal control and still have the dog survive. I knew that from the gun and the traces of blood around the white dog's snout. They would have to kill him one way or another.

The second I felt that all of the men had relaxed enough; I turned on my heels and ran the other way.

"Come!" I called to the dog.

Needless to say, the dog was already right at my heels. I don't know if I've ever run faster in my life. I could hear the thundering footsteps of the men chasing us down. Luckily, I knew this part of the city like the back of my hand. I had grown up here all of my life after all. I'd be ashamed not to know any of the shortcuts. I made a sharp right turn around a tall building complex. Running down the narrow alleyway, I splashed water every which way with my steps. It started to snow.

I could barely catch my breath after turning another sharp corner into a different alleyway. As I neared the tall fence in the center of the alley, I prepared myself to climb as fast as I could. With no grace at all, I let my entire body hit the fence to stop my run. My heart was pounding in my ears and I was completely out of breath. Can't stop here!

I felt like a lightning bold struck me when I realized that dogs couldn't climb fences. I turned to look at the dog and conspire my next move with the dog. He wasn't there.

Wait, what? Where the hell is this dog? I saw a flash of white in the corner of my eye. I turned my head just in time to watch the dog literally jump the 12-foot fence with one pounce and gracefully land on the other side. The dog looked back at me as if to tell me how slow and inadept I was.

With both hands, I pulled myself up on the fence, eventually landing on the other side. Unlike the dog, I had landed on my butt rather comically. But I wasn't laughing. It was just another two blocks to my apartment complex. I ran as if my life depended on it. Once I reached the complex, I quickly opened the building door with my electric key card and slammed the glass door back shut. I leaned against the glass and tried to catch my breath.

Where was the dog?

I looked all around me and even back outside through the glass. No dog. Seriously? I rescued the damned thing only for it to run out on me again? What was the deal here?

After a few moments of waiting for some sign of the dog, I gave up with a heavy sigh. I begrudgingly took the elevator up all 27 flights. The elevator music did nothing to cheer up my mood or sooth my frustrations. I contemplated the different scenarios of what had happened back there.

I couldn't help but smile. What an adventure this had been! It was the craziest thing I had done all of my life. Not only had I run from cops and animal control, but I had done it with the same instincts that my father had back when he was alive. I had actually put my neck out there for a dog that had nothing to do with me. What has gotten into me? I shook my head, but the smile stayed.

Ding! The elevator doors opened and I made a beeline for my apartment. Slipping the key in and turning the knob, I opened the door.

There he was.

I slammed the door behind me and flung my back to the door. I kept my eyes on the man standing in the middle of my apartment. He was still scantily clad in bandages that barely covered him. I felt it coming. That undeniable feeling that traveled up my throat and through my mouth. I couldn't stop it.

I opened my mouth and let out a laugh. The entire situation was just so ridiculous. I couldn't believe it. None of my questions received any answers and I felt like I was being strung along in some raunchy fantasy.

The man just watched me laugh. He waited patiently for me to stop. His eyes would not waver from me or even blink.

"You're really that dog, aren't you?"

"…"

I stared at him hard. Half of me was still in utter disbelief. The other half couldn't help but believe him. His eyes were the same golden shade as the dog's. Who has naturally golden eyes, anyway? I shook my head and averted my eyes. It was just a little awkward to stare any longer at him without being very consciously aware of his clothing predicament.

"There's a bathrobe hanging on the door in the bathroom." I said nervously. When he made no movement, I continued. "Feel free to use it..."

I closed my eyes for a few seconds. When I opened them back up, the man was missing from his post in front of me. Had he left to the bathroom? He moved so quietly. I moved towards the couch when I saw him out of the corner of my eye. He was sitting on the pile of blankets with his back to the wall, facing me. He already had my big white robe wrapped around his body. How had he gotten it and already settled in that fast? It would've been nearly humanly impossible. Then again, a lot of my recent experiences seemed to be humanly impossible.

I decided not to question it.

Instead, I brought a small kitchen knife to the couch and tucked it under my pillow. I made sure that the man had seen me do it. I didn't make eye contact with him, but I could feel his eyes watching me warily from across the room. I patted the pillow and laid down on the couch.

"Don't you dare try anything funny." I warned.

"Don't think think so highly of yourself, human."

I glared up at the ceiling after hearing his response. What a jerk. But he was definitely insistent on his story. Perhaps I could give this man's story a chance... Without another word, I raised my hand above my head to the lamp next to the couch and turned the light off. Even when darkness enveloped the entire room, I kept my eyes open. I was so tired, but I couldn't trust this stranger quite just yet. I reached my hand under my pillow and kept my grip around the knife all night. I didn't get a wink of sleep.


	5. Dirty Laundry

**Chapter 5: Dirty Laundry**

* * *

><p>It's been hard to get used to it, but there was a demon man (…dog?) living in my small apartment with me. He never seemed to be asleep and I just ignored him for the most part. If I even asked him a question, he would only reply with grunts. I had long given up on trying to find out about his home and identity.<p>

I tried to get my mind off of the unusual situation. It seemed like he had no other home and frankly, I felt a little sorry for him. He didn't seem to be such a bad person. He had barely moved from his spot on the blankets on the other side of the room. It felt almost like my apartment had a clearly defined line separating my apartment in two.

I hadn't expected him to stay this long. In fact, I had been expecting him to leave the morning after I rescued him from the animal control men.

I sighed as I pushed the '27' button in the elevator. My work at the publishing company had dragged on, forcing me to work long hours into the evening. At this point, I didn't mind it too much. My home had been taken over by a supposed demon anyway.

Yet no matter how many hours I got under my belt during the workweek, it wouldn't be enough to support both myself and a freeloader- demon or not. I had to account for food split between the both of us. Even if he didn't eat much, he still ate. On top of that, I had went ahead and gotten him a cheap pair of jeans and a simple white undershirt. As nice as it was to have such a beautiful man waltzing around my apartment naked, it turned out to be an incredible distraction.

As the blinking light at the top of the elevator doors traveled from left to right, showing which floor it was on, debated on how to bring it up.

Ding!

The elevator doors opened and I stepped onto my apartment level with newfound confidence. Today was the day that I kick out this freeloader!

I knit my brows together and walked into my apartment with determination written all over my face- at least, I hope it looked that way. The truth was that I was still a little wary of the stranger. I shut the door behind my and observed my apartment. It looked just the same. I took a few steps forward while I unwrapped my white scarf from around my neck.

Sure enough, the homeless man was still sitting on the blankets exactly how I had left him this morning. Is he a statue demon or what? I threw my coat, scarf, and mittens onto the couch. I locked my feet in a power stance right in front of the robed man and cross my arms. Keeping my chin up, I peered down at the unfazed man.

"Okay freeloader. Here's the deal: make yourself useful or get the hell out of my house."

Was that too harsh? … Maybe I could've said it in a nicer way. The man's eyes just tilted up to meet my own. I tried not to squirm under the intense glare.

"… Please?"

I threw it in to be more polite. My voice had shrunk by 50 times from the volume I had when I started. I averted my eyes from his and waited for a response.

Nothing. I mentally sighed- a habit that I was quickly growing into. What did I expect? The man would not so much as move, much less speak to me. I let my shoulders slump back down as I walked back to my side of the apartment.

"What must I do?"

I looked back at the demon in surprise. I almost thought that I imagined the voice. But one look at his serious face confirmed that he had indeed spoken. Maybe there was hope after all!

"Um. Well, you could tell me your name…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"… Seriously?" I asked him skeptically after the both of us just entered a rather awkward stare down.

"Sesshoumaru."

"That's a really weird name." I said absent-mindedly before I could cover my mouth. I mentally punched myself in the face and corrected my words. "Of course, it's a very elegant name. Cute, I guess. Er, I mean, it's manly..?"

Things are not looking good for me. I just needed to put my foot in my mouth and take a dose of 'shut-the-hell-up.' It really was a weird name though. It was the perfect kind of weird to couple the strange tall man with long silver hair.

"It's a nice name, is what I meant to say."

"…" His blank stare was enough to make me feel like an idiot.

"Anyway, like I was saying… If you're going to stay here, you might as well make yourself useful. Laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, anything to help around the house I guess."

"I am not a servant."

"What? No one said that you were!"

"Only servants do cook."

"… Are you kidding?"

Was he some kind of sheltered child? I stared at him from across the room. He wasn't kidding. And neither was I. From what I could tell, he was just one big child throwing a temper tantrum and refusing to speak to his mother. I could barely stop myself from rolling my eyes.

"It doesn't put you at a lower status at all. It just means that you're being grateful for, you know, the free room and board?" When he said nothing, I continued.

"They're really easy tasks. If a demon can't do them, then perhaps humans really are better."

I smirked and wondered if he would take the bait. When I still got no response, I just sat down on my couch and spread out my notes. I didn't have the time to try and figure out how to make the man useful. I had to concentrate on my editorial work.

.

.

.

* * *

><p>I sighed as I pushed the same '27' button in the elevator. Today. Today would be the day that I get that lazy freeloader to help around the house! If all else failed, I wasn't afraid to call the cops. I watched the familiar blinking light move up the numbers to me level.<p>

I would prefer not to get the police involved. What would they think? I was either a crazy person that took what I believed was a demonic dog or an idiot that welcomed a homeless (and possibly dangerous) man into my house. I must've looked like a sitting duck, just asking to be raped and beaten.

Ding!

I sighed before lifting my chin up with determination again. I was going to walk through that old wooden door and give that freeloader a piece of my mind!

I walked into my apartment and slammed the door behind me. I took the usual few steps towards my couch, searching the room for the man as always.

It was a mess. My clothes were laying all over the place. My small round dining room table was flipped over onto its side. Both of the chairs were also flipped over next to the table. There was water everywhere. I dropped my bag full of heavy manuscripts onto the floor. My mouth was wide open and my face went pale. It looked like a hurricane had attacked my apartment.

"Wha….."

It was hard to form the right words when your home had been wrecked so thoroughly. I shut my mouth and glared at the man sitting on his usual pile of blankets as if nothing had happened. His eyes were closed, but I knew he was definitely awake.

"What the fuck happened?"

"Laundry."

"Excuse me. _Laundry?_"

"Was that not what you asked from me yesterday?"

"Yeah. I asked for laundry to be done. Not for my apartment to be turned into a disaster zone!"

I grabbed several clean and dry rags from the hallway closet and threw them over the water-filled surfaces of the apartment. Then I quickly swept through my home like a cleaning tornado, attempting to correct everything.

I lifted the tables and chairs, wiped the water off of the counters, and gathered my wet clothes that were strewn all over the place. I held one of my favorite t-shirts up. It was just wet and sad-looking.

"I assume you didn't know how to use the laundry machine?"

"… Machine..?"

I sighed pathetically and threw the pile of wet clothes back into the dirty hamper. I glanced back at him. Maybe it was wiser to just let the freeloader freeload. Well. At least he tried… I looked back at the sitting man with a sympathy. He reminded me more of a puppy, not a dog.

"Thanks anyway."

"…"

"I'm gonna go take a bath. Have you eaten… Yet?"

Before I finished my sentence, the silver-haired man whipped his head towards my direction. His eyes were looking straight at me, finally. What, was he hungry?

"I'll make some food after I get out of the bath. Just give me a few minutes." I turned and opened the door to the bathroom.

Did I mention that the apartment looked like a hurricane had hit? Well, the bathroom looked like a series of tsunamis had hit. The shower pole was broken in half. The clear plastic curtain was ripped to shreds. My bottles of shampoo and products were opened and with the contents spilled all over the places.

The cabinet drawers had been taken out and thrown to the other side of the bathroom. One drawer was even smashed _into_ the wall above my head. The mirror was smashed and the showerhead was hanging loosely from its place, threatening to fall off. A few of the tiles on the floor were missing and the tub itself had a large crack straight down the middle. The entire bathroom was flooded. It looked like a water bomb had exploded in my bathroom.

I couldn't even think. I just stared. And stared. And stared. I was just hoping to blink it all away. This must have been a dream No- a nightmare. My jaw was slack, but I couldn't even utter a sound.

"Laundry is… Not my forte." A deep voice admitted right behind me.

I didn't even deign to turn around and face the man standing inches behind me. It took all I had not to grab a shard of broken glass and stab his face with it. The bottles of product looked enticing as throwing weapons right about now.

"Clearly." Was all I could say. I turned myself away from the bathroom. I couldn't even look at the damage any more. It made my head spin.

The furniture being turned over was one thing, but how was I going to pay for the mirror? The tiles? The tub? The _walls_? There was no way. The amount of expenses slammed me hard. I stood in the hallway for a while. I could feel the eyes of Sesshoumaru guy on my back.

I had to cool off for a bit. There was no way that I could stay in my apartment with the demon man without attempting murder. Before I could throw pots, pans, and lamps at the taller man, I reached for my black pea coat instead.

"I need to step out for a bit."

I shut the door behind me and left the apartment complex. I needed some fresh air. My face and hands were met with a rush of icy air. Each of my long breaths fogged up in the cold winter air. I looked up at the sky. It was snowing again.

I had barely gotten a chance to go very far down the street before a hand was roughly placed over my mouth, stifling any sounds. My whole body was lifted and the attacker's other arm tightly held down my arms. I kicked my legs violently, hoping that I could land a good blow on my attacker. But the attacker did not flinch.

Could this day get any worse? If this was some nasty prank that was being played on my life, I can tell you now: I don't like it! I saw the silver gleam from the knife that was held against my throat.

"Stop moving." A deep raspy voice said right into my ear.

I was terrified. What did I do? I thrashed even harder to escape! Trust me to defy the logical action of simply listening to the assailant's threat. Apparently, I had caught him by surprise when I turned my torso to the side. His hand slipped just slightly from my mouth, but it was enough for me to latch onto his palm with my teeth.

His hand released just for a split second to shake me off. I of course, used this split second to effectively let out a scream. Honestly, I didn't have much hope. I didn't see anyone nearby when I left the complex just minutes ago and it was too dark for anyone far away to see me in my plight.

Suddenly, the man holding onto me threw me to the ground and flipped me around. His knife was still at my throat. I tried to get a look at his face through my flailing arms, but he wore a black ski mask over his features and a simple black coat. He captured both of my wrists and held them above my head, forcing them painfully into the cold brick building behind me.

It was quite clear what he had in mind for me. The thought sickened me. I bucked up, trying to throw the tall man off of me. My hips had barely connected against his before he was flung off. It worked!

But instead of the man just being knocked back a couple feet away from me, he flew way above my height into the opposite yellow-bricked wall. Hard. Gravity dragged him back to earth and he fell with a thud onto the icy pavement. His body was raised up by one hand clutched at his throat.

Sesshoumaru.

The tall silver-haired demon raised the black masked man high above the ground by his neck. And with one single arm too! I would have spent more time looking on in astonishment if I wasn't worried that he was going to kill the man. I got up and ran towards the demon. I placed both of my hands on his raised arm, trying to bring it back down with all of my strength.

"Sesshoumaru! Stop!"

I tugged hard. I even dug my feet into the ground and yanked on his arm with my entire body. It didn't even budge a centimeter! Was he in statue mode again?

"I'm serious! You can't just go around killing people!"

"Did he not wrong you just now?"

"Yes, but you can't just kill people on your own. I don't know about the time you say you're from, but that's not how things work nowadays! Please!" I gave another hard tug at his arm.

Sesshoumaru's hand released the man, letting the body drop to the iced pavement in a fit of coughs. I didn't even bother to look at the masked man's condition, I just grabbed at Sesshoumaru's hand and tugged at him t follow my back to the apartment complex.

"We need to leave before anyone gets here and gets the wrong idea." The stubborn demon did nothing to move again. "Come on!"

My feet separated from the ground as I was lifted into the air. Not just lifted a few feet above the ground- I was flying! The silver-haired freeloader just grabbed me by the waist and sailed through the air gracefully as if it were the most natural thing in the world!

I looked back down at the distancing ground below. I felt like I was on the most unreliable rollercoaster in the park. My head started feeling dizzy. I turned my head sideways and focused my attention on the my savior's features. Delicate, yet defined.

His long silky hair swayed gently as we flew up towards what I assumed was my apartment. His eyes were a vibrant gold and his cheeks bore strange violet markings like slashes on the sides. I gazed at him a little longer before letting out an exasperated sigh.

He really was a demon, wasn't he?

There was no denying it now. I was stuck with him or, rather, he was stuck with me. I couldn't knowingly set a demon loose on the city to do whatever he pleased. Judging from how he had handled my situation, I don't think he'd fare too well in my world.

Just as I blinked, I noticed the brightly lit moon behind him. A perfect large crescent sitting up in the sky. Its glow resonated off of Sesshoumaru and accentuated the delicate features. He was actually a lot more handsome than I first thought. Maybe it was the moon or maybe it was the atmosphere of flying through the night sky in a strong man's arms…

Whatever it was, it made my heart skip a beat.

.

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>*Author's note:<strong>

_Thank you all for the reviews. Special thanks to D101 and 88Dragon for your constant and loyal reviews. I get all giddy when I see the reviews and the amazing view stats for my fanfiction. Yay!_

_Honestly, I'm a little afraid that the stats are almost rivaling the main and more serious '_Take Flight'_ fiction, but hey- I'm glad people are enjoying what I create!_


	6. Root of Evil

**Chapter 6: Root of Evil**

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><p>This was it. Today is the day that I kick that freeloader out of my house!<p>

Ding! I stomped out of the elevator and straight into my apartment. I was on a mission and I couldn't be stopped. I passed the front entryway on my way towards my lovely couch and turned to face the man sitting once more on _my_ floor.

"You!" I pointed at him with my brows fiercely scrunched together. I meant business!

His eyes opened and the golden irises pierced my own. One look. That was all it took for my nerves to disappear and my courage to shrivel to the size of a pea. I could feel my brow loosen and move upwards, betraying my worry and lack of bravery.

This man was no ordinary man. He was a demon. That was scary enough, but it definitely didn't help when I watched him almost kill a man last night as if it were no big deal. It is a big deal!

Not to mention my poor bathroom. I had spent all night cleaning and trying to piece together the cabinets and shards of mirror. I purchased a new curtain. Do you know what that means? More money spent on this freeloading demon!

I walked into the bathroom to set up the rod and curtain again. I looked over my shoulder to the big broken mirror on the bathroom wall. Had I been cursed? It didn't seem like anyone else had to be responsible for such a demonic dog- no pun intended. I sighed and pulled out the heavy-duty tape in an attempt to patch up the long crack in my porcelain bathtub.

No. A freeloader is a freeloader- demon or not. If there was one pet peeve that had been passed down to me by my father, it was the case of freeloading. Taking advantage of a courteous woman's home and stealing her food and deigning to destroy her makeshift nest? Unforgivable! My eyes fired up with determination once again. I burst back through the bathroom entry and ran out to the coffee table. There, I pulled manuscripts out of my black leather messenger bag along with a huge stack of papers. I slammed the papers down onto the coffee table as hard as I could, successfully grabbing Sesshoumaru's attention.

"More servant work?" He said calmly.

"Never again." I glared. "No. Tomorrow, you're getting a job!"

.

.

.

Was this demon really as useless as a child? No, he was even less useful. You couldn't play with him or yell at him like a normal kid. No no. This big baby could kill. The problem was; he couldn't do much else in the world I lived in.

Computers stumped him. Customer service was out of the question. He couldn't even clean. Janitorial work was way beneath him. His claws tore up any kind of clothes to be hung. And his long hair kept him out of any business firm. The only thing he could have been a professional in was freeloading.

I sighed. This was possibly the most difficult obstacle I had encountered in my life. I stood back up from the bench and looked down at Sesshoumaru. He sat so calmly and with such grace as if none of this mattered to him. Well, it wouldn't have mattered anyways since he was a professional freeloader.

"Come on. One more café and we'll call it a day." I held my hand out to him.

Of course, he didn't even look at it. He just stood back up from the bench with grace. I clenched my fist and shook it in front of me dramatically. He was so gorgeous that it made a girl's confidence plummet to the depths of the Earth. I hated it! As I stood grumbling with my back turned to him, I heard a voice addressing the silver-haired demon.

"I can't believe it! You are the perfect model for our photo shoot!"

"Model?" I turned around in a flash.

There was a man with blond hair dressed in a brown trench coat gleaming at the tall demon. Of course! Why hadn't I thought of it before? Sesshoumaru would be the perfect model for any advertisement!

"Sold!" I waved my hand between the blond man and Sesshoumaru.

"Excuse me. You are?"

"This guy's manager."

"You're very young for a manager… What industry are you from?"

I coughed and tried my best to change the subject as fast as I could.

"Don't you know never to judge a lady by her looks alone? I'm actually 35. I'm flattered that you would think I'm too young for this business though. Ohohohoho!" I placed my hand to the side of my mouth and laughed loudly like any batty pleased old lady.

"Wow! A fitting manager for such a gorgeous model!"

"I'm glad you think so! Now, let's talk business…"

I felt like a pimp. I was literally selling Sesshoumaru's body to old men with cameras. I felt guilty, but I have to put food on the table somehow! And my bathroom in not just going to fix itself.

"My model usually works for 78,000 yen and hour, but since we have the time right now, I will give him to you for the low price of just 60,000 yen!" I sounded like an old man selling fish at a farmer's market.

"60,000 yen? But it'd only be a two-hour session!"

"He's a total professional. Do you not see his prominent cheekbones? Those natural and defined lips? His manly abs and arms are practically bursting out from underneath that white shirt, just asking to be photographed! Just look at this hair!"

I almost reached out to take a hold of his long silver hair, but I stopped my hand just short. I couldn't. I had never willingly touched him before. I didn't imagine him to be too keen about the prospect of being touched by humans either. Not to mention that the other night when he had grabbed me to jump up onto my balcony, I felt all weird and warm. I shook my head and grinned at the blond man.

"Well, on second thought, if you can't see his beauty for what it's really worth then perhaps we will just move on…" I turned my back and began walking with Sesshoumaru in tow.

"Waaaaaait!"

The blond man reached out to stop me by grabbing my elbow. I turned just in time to see Sesshoumaru grasp his wrist to stop the man from touching me. Let me tell you, it looked quite painful.

"Sesshoumaru! Down!"

Did I really just speak to the demon with dog commands? Well, it worked. Sesshoumaru dropped the blonde's wrist and kept his eyes on the surprised man.

"Uh… Don't worry about it?" I just had to get through this awkward moment…

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><p>Luckily, it hadn't taken much more convincing to get Sesshoumaru hired as a model. I sat in a nice blue chair as the photographers set up the lights and equipment. We had agreed to work in a nice studio with a regular white backdrop. It turns out that Sesshoumaru was supposed to model for some kind of expensive designer line.<p>

I looked out of the large window behind me to see the entire city below us. We were so high up! I grinned. Oh, the perks of being a model manager.

"Eeeeek!"

My head snapped towards the direction of the commotion. I jumped out of my seat and ran over as fast as I could. What was that big baby failing at now?

"Don't touch me, human." His familiar cold voice.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry!"

A petite young woman was backing away from the tall demon slowly. Great. He wouldn't let the lady do her job and dress him. He obviously couldn't dress himself. Designer brands these days were crafted to confuse the wearer, I swear!

The commotion had attracted the attention of all of the photographers, managers, and other models in the room. I sighed and gently placed my hand on the terrified woman's shoulder.

"He usually has a personal dresser, but she retired last month. He's just not used to anyone else touching him." I offered up a makeshift explanation, hoping that it was believable enough for the crew.

"I see. Would you be able to do it, Naomi-san?"

"Hah?" I felt like I was being cornered into doing the last thing I would ever want to do.

"He seems to be most trusting of you. I don't think our dresser is going to be too comfortable with him." The photographer pointed over to the terrified woman. "We're running out of time here."

"U-uh…" I couldn't help but blush. Me? Clothe this demon man?

Before I knew it, I was pushed behind a curtain into a dressing room with a pile of clothes in my arms. Why me? I dropped the pile of clothes onto the counter next to the brightly lit mirror and began sifting through the pile for the first set of clothes.

I'm not going to lie. I was extremely conscious of Sesshoumaru's stare at my back. I wonder what he thought about this entire situation? I know he was trying to help me out. I think he felt guilty for the utter destruction of my apartment. I bet my calling him a freeloader didn't help him feel any better either.

But it was just a little ridiculous. He couldn't even dress himself in normal modern day clothes. I suppose the era that he had vaguely described to me was long ago. He must've always worn a kimono. I tried to imagine the demon the old warring times. Yes. He would have fit in perfectly.

I found the white and red button-up that I had been searching for and raised it up towards Sesshoumaru. He just stood there and stared at me. Did he expect me to really dress him?

"Are you going to stare at me like that while I dress?"

"H-hah? I thought you didn't know how to wear this stuff!"

I blushed harder and snapped my eyes shut. I forced the shirt towards him and turned my head away. I felt the shirt being taken out of my hand followed by light rustling behind me. I felt like such a lurk, but I couldn't keep my eyes completely shut. I peeped open my eyes slightly.

I could see him in the mirror's reflection in front of me. It was a struggle for me not to burst out in a fit of giggles. The shirt was on backwards with the buttons on his back. At least he had figured out where to put his arms? His quizzical gaze down at the shirt was something I had never seen before. Some strands of his silky hair fell past his shoulder. He really was just like a proud, but confused dog. I continued to watch his struggle for a few more moments before I turned around.

"Here. Let me help you." I said softly.

I carefully reached for the shirt to pull it off of his front. I waited for him to slap my hand away or snap viciously at me. But he never did. After his silent permission was given, I managed to pull off the shirt completely. I stood up on my toes to reach closer to his height. Had he always been this tall?

I slid the shirt over and behind his back. With both of my hands on either side of his neck, I pulled the shirtfront forward over his shoulders. My wrist accidentally slid across his skin. I pulled my hands back in an instant as if I had been burned.

His skin was so smooth and warm. I know it shouldn't have affected me to the point of jerking away from him, but he made my insides feel all funny. It can't be healthy for me.

Luckily, Sesshoumaru had caught the shirt from falling off completely. He had enough sense to pull his arms through the sleeves before letting his hands fall. He was waiting for me to continue!

I couldn't look at his face when my own felt like it as on fire. I brought my hands up to the black buttons in the front of the shirt. My fingers felt weak and shaky. Focus Naomi! He's just a dog demon! I mentally slapped myself across the face.

Oh, but his warm breath reached down to my hands. I didn't think I could blush any harder. After the first button was finally put through the hole, I slid my fingers to down to work on the next one. I couldn't help but wonder how welcoming a homeless dog into your home could turn you into a personal servant of a beautiful man? This work was torture!

I couldn't even try to make any sound escape my lips and I definitely wouldn't be able to make any sort of sensible conversation to ease the awkward silence. And so I just stood there, inches away from this tall handsome man, just buttoning up his shirt. Was it just me or was it getting super warm in here?

Thankfully (or unfortunately), the curtain to the dressing room was ripped open suddenly as the familiar blond man came to fetch his newest model.

"What is taking so long?"

Automatically, I jerked away from Sesshoumaru as fast as the blond man could snap his fingers. I couldn't bear to look at Sesshoumaru anymore. I turned away from the men and hid my embarrassment with my dark bangs.

"Ah, I knew it the moment that I saw you. You are absolutely perfect for this shoot!"

"…" I kept my back to the two men.

"Hmm. You wear very unusual make up. Is the war paint from an earlier shoot, I presume?" I waited for the man's voice to drift farther away.

After I heard the two men leave the dressing room to return to the main studio, I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were so wide and my face looked like it was about to explode. I tried to calm myself with deep breaths. It was perfectly normal for any girl to have been attracted to the silver-haired man. But there was no chance in hell that I could actually think of in _romantically_, right?

Just before I could take another deep breath, I heard a loud clash coming from the studio. Oh god. What now? I ran with full speed, sliding back into the studio room. There were gusts of wind lashing at my face. I covered my face with my arms and forced my eyes open to see what was going on.

What I saw was not Sesshoumaru merely being a big baby and breaking stuff again. No, it would have been better if it was just that. Instead, he was throwing a tantrum! His eyes were glowing a bright red and the corners of his mouth were turned widely upwards into a sneer that exposed rows of sharpened teeth. The markings on his face were even more vibrant, giving his appearance a demonic glow.

What was going on?

I must've voiced my thought aloud because I received a response from one of the photographers standing next to me.

"He just freaked out after we started taking photos. This is an amazing feature!"

I raised an eyebrow at the photographer with the goatee. I couldn't believe it. He was still snapping photos of the transforming demon! Weren't they afraid? I turned my attention back to the center of the studio.

It was the flashing lights from the equipment! Every time a photo was taken, a flash was emitted and a loud 'pop!' would sound. The poor demon was already confused enough about our world! It must have seemed like a trap to him.

Without another thought, I ran into the picture to try to calm the demon down. It was to no avail. The winds being emitted by his demonic transformation was so strong! I reached out for his hand through the wind. It took a few seconds, but I finally made contact.

"Sesshoumaru! Stop!" My fingers kept slipping from his, but I didn't give up.

We had to get out of here before he killed everyone! My fingers finally clasped themselves around Sesshoumaru's clawed ones and I pulled his hand towards me.

"Let's go home!" I yelled to him above the wind.

His red eyes focused themselves over to me. I don't think I've ever been as terrified in my life. Demons sure were scary! It took a minute or two before the wind stopped. Sesshoumaru's eyes reverted back to the usual gold and his snarling fangs retracted beneath his lips once more.

Not daring to lose another moment, I pulled Sesshoumaru behind me and ran for the door. Before stepping out completely, I extended my free hand out and took hold of the only unbroken camera in the room. Even as I did this, the photographer with the goatee didn't stop taking pictures! I was appalled and a little angered. Did he not understand how his actions were frightening the demon? I yanked the camera from the photographer's hands. If these photos got out, it would be dangerous for both Sesshoumaru _and_ me!

"What are you doing? Careful with that! You couldn't even begin to pay for it with your life!"

Some of the staff stood blocking the door to escape.

"I don't give a flying fuck, you stupid old man!" I held the camera tightly in my hand and pointed to the large open window.

Without even saying a word, Sesshoumaru seemed to understand me exactly. I felt my entire body being lifted off the ground again. My waist was tightly held against Sesshoumaru's shoulder s he ran at the window.

With one slash of his claws, the window shattered into tiny pieces. I watched as the photography staff watched in horror as Sesshoumaru and I fell out of the window of one of the tallest buildings in the city.

The small pieces of glass flew every which way. They were so small, that it just looked like regular snow or glitter all around us as we fell. It was truly beautiful.

But I wasn't distracted by the awe of the situation, no sir. I was freaking terrified. We were falling towards our doom! My mind flashed back to the broken mirror in my bathroom. Was I cursed to end this way? I closed my eyes just before we hit the ground.

I felt my limbs being pushed down with gravity before being released. Was I dead? I opened my eyes. We were back up and flying through the air again. Sesshoumaru was taking giant leaps off of the ground and into the air.

BEEEEEEP! BEEP BEEEEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

He was scaring traffic! Cars had stopped in the middle of intersections below us to see what was going on. Pedestrians were stopped on sidewalks, looking up at the sky; looking up at us.

"Sesshoumaru, they'll see us. You can't..."

Before I could finish my sentence, we had already arrived at my balcony. He set me down gently onto the snow-covered wood. I slid the door open and walked back into my apartment. I dropped my coat onto the couch with a heave and turned back to the demon.

I was about to reprimand him for destroying the shoot. Not only that, but he had endangered the both of us by almost showing his demon form. What if I hadn't been able to take the camera? It frightened me to think that the possibility of the government intervening was waxing. Our method of transportation back to my apartment wasn't the brightest either. My mouth opened and the words were on the tip of my tongue.

But instead, I just closed my mouth back up. He stood just inside the balcony door in the clothes from the shoot. He looked so calm despite the most recent catastrophe. It really calmed my nerves. Our eyes met and for the first time, I couldn't bear to tear my eyes away.

What is going on with me?

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><p><strong>*Author's note:<strong> _Thank you guys so much for the reviews!_

_If you haven't already, be sure to check out my other Sessxoc fanfiction: Take Flight! _


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